Brothascomics Podcast

Monday, October 19, 2015

Star Wars is Anti White?

Wait what? Look, I'm gonna try and make this brief without feeding the trolls too much but the idea that Star Wars is anti- white may be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in the realm of comics and sci fi movies. If anything, Star Wars, the Original Trilogy especially, could not be more whitewashed. So much in fact, George Lucas had to be told that there were no Black people in the movie which is why he enlisted James Earl Jones to do the voice of Darth Vader. So to all those out there who are upset that their favorite childhood movie is being more progressive, you haven't lived with the fact of loving a movie that literally has a handful of people that look like you in it.

Just to recap the people of color in ALL SIX MOVIES. This is not counting the Special additions where black people were added in the background and it does not count any aliens and for damn sure does not count Jar Jar Binks! And you tell me how these movies could be considered anything other than anti black. And just to motivate myself and let you know Vader does not count either- here is the brilliant Hooper X from Chasing Amy letting us know how racist Star Wars actually is!

In the order in which they came out....

Star Wars. There are no BLACK PEOPLE in Star Wars: A New Hope. NONE!

Empire Strikes Back. Lando and another brotha who is a guard in Cloud City who never talks! That's it! He is probably Lando's cousin!

See he's there!

Return of the Jedi

Mind you Lando is back and is the only credited Black Character in the Original Trilogy. There are a few "rebels" on the battle of Endor and the attack on the Death Star but that is pretty much it!

Pretty sure its the same black dude!

Blacks in the original trilogy is like that scene from Scrubs were Turk is printed twice on his college brochures to show diversity.

The Phantom Menace

Since we are counting Blacks only, I'm not counting Annakin's Indian friend on Tattoinne. And Phantom Menace has a ton of blacks in the background, but the only speaking roles goes to Mace Windu, Panaka, and an unnamed pilot on the attack on the droid Trade Federation Ship. And I am pretty sure Mace's body double is caught in a scene as he has on Mace's clothes. I know its implied that the Gungan's are black but we are not fucking illiterate space creatures.

Attack of the Clones

Attack of the clones if you take out Mace, again has no Black people in it. Captain Panaka was replaced by Captain Typho but this brotha I think is from an island nation. And again, there is an implication that the Kimonians are Black but again we are not creatures from another world and planet!

Reminds of that picture of the Rock when he was fat!

Revenge of the Sith

Once again, take out Mace Windu and you are hard pressed to find a Black actor in these movies. I am sure there are plenty of extra's and some black actors as aliens under all that make up. But a character who speaks and has a role in the storyline.... Man forget it! And we not counting Puerto Rican Jimmy Smits as Black! And before I forget, there are no Black Women in any of these movies. NONE! I am not sure who birthed these few actors that made it but maybe they was spawned because there are no black women!

Look, I love Star Wars more than I should probably and I have made peace with the fact that sci- fi is often whitewashed and even though I am not okay with it, I still can enjoy it but make comments about how no black people or people of color or even women make it into these movies. But don't come at me and creating hashtags about a movie series that at its best over 6 movies and 12 hours of footage has less than 10 black actors in it. This new movie may be good or it may suck. It may give the franchise new blood or life or it may not. But what I know for damn sure is that its not anti white.